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Javanisation is the process in which Javanese culture dominates, assimilates, or influences other cultures in general (). The term "Javanise" means "to make or to become Javanese in form, idiom, style, or character". This domination could take place in various aspects; such as cultural, language, politics, and social.
In its modern sense within social, cultural and politics perspective; Javanization simply means the spreading of rural Javanese people of densely populated Java to less populated parts of the archipelago. While to others it could also mean the conscious or unconscious imposition of Javanese patterns of thought and behavior throughout Indonesia, in the sense of cultural imperialism. In previous sense it is more focused on thinking and practice of those in power.
While other writer focused on its political aspect, which describes Javanisation as a process whereby Javanese people or Javanised individuals gradually became the overwhelming and disproportionate majority of the governing elite in the Indonesian post-independence era.
The term "Javanise" however, is not only to describe outward process, but also inward; it is also used to describes the adoption and assimilation of foreign social-cultural influences and elements into Javanese culture. These foreign influences are somehow interpreted and adopted to suit Javanese frame of reference, style, needs and social-cultural conditions. The adoption of Indian Hindu epics and cultural elements in 5th to 15th-century Java and the adoption of Islam introduced by Wali Sanga into Javanese culture in 15th-century are the notable examples.
The promotion and expansion of Javanese cultural elements, such as Javanese language, architecture, Javanese cuisine, batik, wayang, gamelan, and kris are also can be seen as the manifestation of Javanisation process. The Javanese migration to settle in places out of their traditional homeland in Central Java and East Java to other places in Indonesia (Sumatra, Kalimantan, Sulawesi, Papua, etc.), the Malay Peninsula (esp. Johor and Selangor), Singapore, and Suriname, is also a contributing factor of Javanisation process.
In the language aspect, such as the using of Javanese terms, idioms, and vocabularies outside of traditional Javanese language realm. For example, today it is commons for Indonesians to use Javanese terms to address people across Indonesia, such as mas (to address the same of age or slightly older male) or mba (for female counterparts). It is common in national capital Jakarta; however, this phenomenon has somewhat alarmed the Malay language and Minangkabau-speaking realms in Sumatra, also by the Sundanese people neighbors in western part of Java, that considered it as a form of Javanization and cultural imperialism.
In social and politics, the examples of perceived Javanisation such as numbers of Indonesian Presidents are always Javanese (even B. J. Habibie who is maternally Javanese — and Javanese kinship is bilineal). Also the alleged Javanese political dominance in government administrations, civil service, military and police, as well as Javanese traits in Indonesian political culture.
In its early stages, Javanese culture was heavily influenced by Hindu-Buddhist civilization. The example of this process is the adoption of many Sanskrit loanwords into old Javanese, and the Javanisation of Indian Hindu epics such as Ramayana and Mahabharata into Javanese version, and incorporating local deities such as Semar and Punakawan into their Wayang Purwa stories. The process of adopting Hindu influences is described as the Sanskritisation of Java and the Javanisation of the Bharata. The blossoming of Javanese classical literature for example are the composing of Kakawin Ramayana and Arjunawiwaha.
The early examples of Javanisation is the expansion of Javanese arts — developed in 8th to 9th-century Central Java — that influences the aesthetics of discovered in Sumatra, Southern Thailand and the Malay Peninsula. Despite absorbing Indian influences from Gupta and Amaravati arts, to Southern India Pallava influences, Javanese Sailendran art in return influenced the art and aesthethic of the Southeast Asian region.
The early classical period, during Eastern Java Mataram kingdom in the 10th century, saw the expansion of Javanese influence to Bali. East Javanese princess Mahendradatta become the queen consort of King Udayana Warmadewa of Bali, signify the Javanese increasing influences upon Bali. During the reign of Airlangga, Bali had effectively become a part of the East Javanese Hindu realm.
The expansion of Singhasari kingdom in the 13th century during the reign of Kertanegara strengthened the Javanese influence in the region, especially upon Bali and Melayu Kingdom in Eastern coast of Sumatra, through Pamalayu expedition. In 1200 CE, Mpu Jatmika from Java established the Hindu Kingdom of Negara Dipa by the river of Tapin; this was the start of the Javanese-style courts in South Kalimantan.
Followed by the expansion of Majapahit empire circa 14th-century, the archipelago saw again the Javanese expansion. It was probably during this period that some of Javanese cultural elements, such as gamelan and kris, being expanded and introduced to islands outside of Java; such as Sumatra, the Malay Peninsula and Borneo. It was during this era that the town Banjarmasin in South Kalimantan and Sukadana in West Kalimantan has been established as Javanese colony as the vassal of Majapahit. In 1400 CE, Negara Dipa was succeeded by the Hindu Kingdom of Negara Daha. The Javanese influences can be seen on Banjar people art, culture, and costumes that demonstrated Javanese styles.
It was also during the last period of Majapahit in the 15th century that the native Austronesian elements of pre Hindu-Javanese style were revived, as demonstrated in Sukuh and Cetho temples. The stiffer wayang style figures of statues and bas reliefs, and the stepped pyramid temple structure replaced the classic towering Hindu temples. This reverse of Indianised kingdom process is also called the "Javanisation" of Hindu-Buddhist prototypes in Javanese art.
During the ambitious Sultan Agung's reign of Mataram Sultanate in the first half of the 17th century, Javanese culture again expanded, much of western and eastern region of Java are being Javanised. Mataram's campaign on eastern Javanese principalities such as Surabaya and Pasuruan expanded Mataraman influences on Java. Mataram expansion includes Sundanese people principalities of Priangan highlands; from Galuh Ciamis, Garut, Sumedang, Bandung, and Cianjur. It was during this period that Sundanese people were exposed and assimilated further into Javanese Kejawen culture. The successful Javanization of Sundanese people can be seen in the examples of the sultanates of Cirebon and Banten Sultanate. Where the rulers and people were of Sundanese descent but assimilated themselves as Javanese and spoke his language. Wayang golek are Sundanese taking on Javanese wayang kulit culture, similar shared culture such as gamelan and batik also flourished. It is probably during this times that Sundanese language began to adopt the stratified degree of term and vocabulary to denote politeness, as reflected in Javanese language. In addition, also used to write Sundanese as cacarakan.
Foreign influences and ideas such as religions and beliefs are sometimes consciously and deliberately undergone changes and adaptations, being "Javanised" to be accepted by popular Javanese audiences. The examples such as the process that took place in the 15th century dubbed as "the Islamisation of Java and the Javanisation of Islam." The such as Sunan Kalijaga are known to use Javanese cultural expressions such as gamelan and wayang to promote and spread Islamic faith. Wayang sadat is a variant of wayang that used to in tabligh and da'wah to spread Islamic messages. Another example Javanisation of Islam in Java is the construction of tajug pyramidal multi-tiered roof of Javanese mosque. Javanese mosque did not applied dome, minaret, brick or stone masonry, but instead adopted wood carpentry of pendopo and meru-like roofs derived from previous pre-Islamic art and architecture of Java. The example of this kinds of mosque are Demak Great Mosque and Yogyakarta Grand Mosque.
During colonial Dutch East Indies period, numbers of Javanese are migrated to Suriname as plantation workers. Within the archipelago, Javanese are also migrate to several places such as Sumatra, Kalimantan and Johor in Malay peninsula. Regions such as northern West Java, Lampung and East Kalimantan are known to have large numbers of Javanese settlers.
During Suharto's New Order regime (1966–1998), the political culture of Indonesia was somewhat perceived as being Javanised. The administration levels were also arranged in Javanese styles and idioms, such as Kabupaten and desa, the terms that were originally not familiar in some of Indonesian provinces, such as West Sumatra and Irian Jaya. In this post-independence Indonesia sense, the term "Javanisation" is used to describe the process whereby Javanese people and Javanised individuals gradually became the overwhelming and disproportionate majority of the governing elite in the Indonesian post-independence era.
The Transmigration program that relocate people from densely populated Java to other Indonesian islands, such as Sumatra, Kalimantan, Sulawesi, and Indonesian New Guinea, is also criticised has accelerated and promoted the Javanisation process of Indonesia. The issue also fuels with development disparity issues, where other islands are dissatisfied with the development and social welfare in their region, in contrast with infrastructure development and wealth distribution that seems to be in favour and focused on Java.
However, today in the era of local autonomy, it is not relevant to connect the transmigration program to Javanisation issues, because the migration process is also conducted internally within Java, or within certain provinces. For example currently Central Java is the largest source of migrants in Indonesia to other provinces, with most of Central Javanese heading to Greater Jakarta, West Java, and Banten regions. While in Eastern Indonesia such as in Maluku and Papua, the majority of the non-native settlers are from Sulawesi (Bugis-Makassar and Buton) and Maluku itself, and not from Java. The transmigration should carefully examine economic potential, as well as social and cultural impact of the area. It is also based on the fact that the provinces which open themselves to pluralism and accept inter-province settlers and migrations are usually developing more rapidly compared to those that isolate themselves.
Java itself has attracted perantau (migrant settlers) and workers from all over the Indonesian archipelago, and subsequently the demographics of Java are not homogenous. For example, certain ethnic groups with strong migration culture, such as Minang people hailed from West Sumatra, Batak people from North Sumatra, and Bugis people from South Sulawesi, has migrated to and settled in Java for generations, although majority of them are attracted to Greater Jakarta area.
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